Feline
by Lilac Queen
Summary: "You look like a cat." He never saw the punch coming. SasuSaku. AU. One-shot.


**A/N: This fic is not beta-read. And like before, tenses seem to be my weak area again. Please bear with me this once, I didn't get enough time to get a beta for this one-shot, kinda not in contact with my awesome betas at the moment! :) And I'd like to welcome all the new readers on FFn, check out my other fics if you guys like this one, and maybe leave a review too ;)**

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**Summary: "You look like a cat." He never saw the punch coming. SasuSaku. AU. One-shot.**

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**Dedicated To: All the awesome readers on FFn and my author friends who I haven't been in contact with.**

**Rating: T **

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_"We don't meet certain people by accident, they're meant to cross out path for a specific reason..." -Unknown_

* * *

Sakura absolutely loved parties, no doubt, unless her cousin Naruto was the one who threw it. Not that he was a bad host, the complete opposite, in fact. But the only problem was that he knew _too_ many people. Majority of the ones who she didn't knew. She knew only a few of his alliances. Very few.

She chugged down the soft drink in her hand; unable to drink since she's underage (she was seventeen for god's sake!). _Bullshit._

Making sure no one was looking at her; she took the glass of vodka and finished it in a few seconds, the liquid burning down her throat. She wasn't the one to drink without any reasons, but she needed it to survive this very loud party. Just because Naruto graduated didn't mean he get to rub it in her face. One more year, she'd be in his footsteps.

She looked down at her silver watch, it was half past eleven. Half an hour more, and she'd show herself out. She had some genetics chapters to study for her upcoming test this week, after all.

* * *

Sasuke disliked parties. Actually, scratch that. He absolutely _loathed_ them. They're too noisy, too crowded, and your dimwitted best friend as the host just adds to that list. He scowled, noticing Naruto walk towards him with an arrogant grin on his face. Sasuke didn't like it, not even one bit. It just means something's gonna happen. Something's gonna happen_ against_ his will.

"Hey Teme!" Naruto greeted him cheerfully. Sasuke wasn't fooled.

"Hn," he scowled with a vengeful glare.

"C'mon, don't be such a prick now, Teme! I want you to meet someone. More like keep company to that someone, since both of you just can't enjoy this awesome-sauce party and be socially retarded," the blond rolled his eyes.

"No way in hell, Dobe."

"Teme, don't be such an ass! Are you saying that you're too afraid to spend time with an unknown person, just because your mommy told you to not talk to strangers?" Naruto knew he had won by the way Sasuke's eyes lit up in resentful anger.

"Fuck off, Dobe." His glare just turned murderous.

"Okay, I'll search for someone who's less prissy!"And with a victorious grin, he got ready to bounce off, knowing what was coming next.

"Where?" The defeated tone didn't go unnoticed by the blond, and he secretly grinned at that.

"Come with me, I'll introduce you to her. You'll definitely like Sakura-chan, I'm sure!" The excitement was hard to miss from his tone.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. It was a _her_. God save him if she turned out to be a fangirl of his, he'd murder Naruto for it. The blond knew that he resented company. So his sudden demeanor of getting him some social company was not trustworthy. Well, he'd see how it folded out then. He's an Uchiha, and Uchiha's are _not_ afraid of anything.

* * *

The pink-haired girl stared at the rows of unending people, all laughing and enjoying, because unlike her, they actually knew each other.

"Sakura-chan!" She turned her head to left side, watching as Naruto came up to her with some ridiculously good looking boy. She snorted at the thought. It's not like she had time for any pretty boys right now.

"What's up, Naruto?" She asked sweetly. She believed in first impressions.

"I wanted you to meet my best friend—though he won't really admit it, haha— Sasuke Uchiha, who is hell bent on acting like an asshole most of the time. But everyone knows he's a real softie inside that tough demeanor he keeps up," he winked at Sasuke, only to get bonked on his head by him.

Sasuke cursed the blond with all his might in his mind. Way to introduce him to this pretty girl with such odd-colored hair and the most beautiful sea-foam green eyes he'd ever seen. Her eyes were big, doe-like. And very, very expressive. He could read her like a book.

He was about to pummel Naruto when he heard her giggling. His head snapped at her, finding her giving both of them a breathtaking grin. Well, Naruto could live for a few more minutes then.

"Hn," he looked away with a scowl on his face, but something in his heart clenched at the sight of this pinkette. She was beautiful, and sexy. And maybe a loud obnoxious person too, who demanded complete attention. Just like a cat. Yes, he mentally nodded at the impeccable comparison.

"Teme, this is Sakura-chan. She's a year younger than us, but that doesn't mean you can bully her, alright? Sakura-chan, tell me if he gives you any glares or mean looks. He's actually very happy to meet you, but he has difficulty expressing his feelings, you see. Kind of runs in the Uchiha family, I guess," Naruto shrugged. "Now, I'll leave both of you alone. I've some guests to attend, sometimes am too popular, I swear!"

Sasuke just snorted and huffed at his remark, while Sakura just laughed at the blond as he hurried to find someone, probably his dark-haired girlfriend, Hinata-something.

"So, Sasuke huh? Can I ask you a question?" Without waiting for his approval, she asked anyway. "Why is your hair duck-butt shaped?" Her tone was laced with utmost amusement, a sly smile present on those pink lips.

He always thought twice before saying something. But there was something about this girl, something that was empowering him with each second that made his nerves a wreck. He didn't mean to say it out loud, but his mouth worked before his mind could process.

"And you look like a cat."

Her sly and humored smile melted like hot lava, replacing it with an unbelievable fury on her face (but she looked beautiful nonetheless). Her eyes shone with undimmed anger, and before he could see it coming, she punched his face. And boy, did the girl possess some inhuman strength.

* * *

"Seriously, Teme, I never told you she was the one to hold back, did I? And man, does your cheek look like a balloon! Guess her martial arts' training comes handy here and there!" The blond snickered oblivious to the Uchiha's state—who now held an ice pack over his left swollen cheek.

Sasuke couldn't believe it, the five foot nothing girl punched him. Till now, not even one hair of his was harmed by anyone, let alone a _girl_. As much as he resented the pinkette for punching him, there was something else bubbling in his heart and mind.

Her green eyes were beautiful, with fire raging in them. Her face, seeming like an incarnation of an angel, would fool you to believe that she doesn't have a mean left hook. Yes, he was surprised by her. She didn't throw herself at him like other girls, and wouldn't take shit from anyone either.

No, he wasn't angry at her. Now, albeit unwillingly, he _admired_ her.

* * *

She couldn't believe it! How dare that good for nothing duck-butt shaped-haired bastard call her a _cat_, of all things.

She knew she overreacted though. Blame alcohol for that. Already annoyed with the party, that asshole dude just pushed her limits, and she finally snapped. But she wasn't the only one to be blamed. That damn Uchiha riled her already annoyed state.

It's not like she didn't like cats, but still. Ugh. She remembered how everyone stared at both her and Sasuke when she punched him. His expression was hilarious, all shocked and angry and disbelieving. But the guilt was downing upon her.

After mourning and cursing herself for few minutes, she just decided to forget this whole ordeal. It's not like she'd be seeing him again anytime. And she'd her test to study for after all.

* * *

The alarm clock resounded loudly in the room, making the pinkette stir lightly before picking her head up from her study table. After studying till four in the morning, she had put the alarm for six, deciding to revise the chapters for test once more and then get ready leisurely without worrying over time. By eight, she'd be out of the house. Her time-table was well-decided in advance and perfect, just like she preferred.

Taking a quick shower she threw on her blue skinny jeans with a pale orange sweater top. And that was exactly what she thought as well. Deciding on wearing her blue converse with it, she pulled her hair up in a lose ponytail and put on some lip balm.

Dot on six-thirty, she noted with a smirk. She loved keeping things in order. Call her a perfection freak, but she won't have it any other way. She took out her biology textbook, removing the cell division chapter. It was a bit complicated, but now she'd by hearted each and every word. It intrigued her that a single cell goes through so many stages to just divide. Her mind is always hungry for new knowledge, enough said.

After studying for almost an hour, she decided to go downstairs for breakfast. Maybe she could chug down some ice-cream before heading out in the sun. It takes almost half an hour to walk to her high school, and the sun's heat just makes her resent the undesirable walk more.

Quickly packing her scattered books in the bag, she took one last look at herself in the mirror, noting that some of her bangs managed to escape the ponytail. Sighing at her reflection she headed down after closing her bedroom door.

Then she heard her mother laughing with a confused expression. Did they have any guests?

But what she saw made her jaw drop down in shock. There, sitting with her mother—who always warned her about talking to strangers—was the chicken-haired dude from yesterday. The one she punched with a mean right hook.

Apparently, her presence was noticed, as both pair of eyes turned to her. Sasuke was sitting on the dining table, with her mother sitting opposite to him. They got up on seeing her.

"Oh, Sakura, look who's here to meet you!" Keiko exclaimed with a bright grin on her face.

"Hello, Sakura," Sasuke said with a hint of that arrogant smirk of his which successfully irritated the pinkette.

"What the fuck are you doing here, asshole?" First impressions were just that, she never bothered to act nice after that.

"Watch your language, young lady!" Keiko gave her a sharp look that just screamed—_behave_.

Sakura snorted. Her mother didn't knew what happened yesterday, so there's no reason for her to _not_ misbehave.

"Mom, please, stay out of this. You don't know what happened so—"

"I know enough that this boy came here to apologize to you. So you better be a lady and accept it, and end your petty fight already."

Apparently, her mother did know what happened. But she didn't trust what this chicken-haired guy must've told her. For all she knew, he must have twisted the story to make himself look like the innocent victim with her as the devil.

"Hn, sorry for calling you a cat," came his monotonous voice as he ran a hand through his spiky hair—that were sticking out in every direction. She just _knew_ he wasn't sorry, at _all_. Her mother cooed in the background at the cute apology. Like hell she'd accept his apology. She just glared at him.

"You're done? Now, get out." It was impossible to please her.

"Sakura!" Keiko reprimanded. "Where are your manners? I don't remember raising such an insolent child!"

Sakura turned to her mother with surprised eyes. _Her_ mother sided with that bastard. This is ridiculous.

"Whatever. Just let me have my coffee and I'm outta here," she said with an irritated sigh. She took the already prepared hot mug of coffee and chugged down the warm liquid. Taking out a small water bottle from the refrigerator, she put it in her bag.

All the while, Sasuke watched her with silent eyes, his mind running with all kinds of thoughts. Not even once did she spare him a glance, except the venomous glares, of course. His cheek was still throbbing with pain, the feeling was raw. But a greater feeling was overpowering his senses. He was anxious, and nervous. This was the first time any girl made him feel that way. He wasn't stupid; he knew what this feeling was. Up till now, he never believed in love at first sight, but damn this girl who altered his belief.

"Sakura…" He started, only to cringe when she turned to him with a resentful scowl.

"Sakura, I want you to sit here and apologize to Sasuke for hitting him. I don't remember when you turned this violent. Don't tell me you took those martial arts training just to hit people." Her mom was persistent, hell bent on making her already worse day more worse.

"Mom…" Sakura was speechless. She knew an order when she heard one. That sneaky bastard, just what the hell did her do that made her mother this partial to him?

Frowning even more, she took out the ice-pack from the freezer and held it out to him. He just raised his right eyebrow in question. Did she expect him to put that ice-pack on his face and just forget the whole deal? He knew it'd take time, he can't just suddenly ask her to date him. That'd be too quick, and he'd be rejected, obviously. It'd hurt his ego and Uchiha pride. Not that he could see any chances of her accepting in future…

Sakura huffed before pulling his hand and dragging him to a nearby chair, and stood in front of him (her height was too small to put the ice-pack while sitting on the chair). She put the ice-pack on his right cheek, noticing that it was a pale shade of red now. Okay… she might have hit him with much force than she intended to. Her guilt just increased ten-fold when she noticed him cringing at the contact. Damn it!

"Look, sorry for punching you, alright? I was just irritated, and you irritated me further. It's your fault too, so don't you dare blame me alone in this, you get it, jerk? Don't get all hissy-fitty, accusing me for it." She rolled her eyes when she heard her mother slap her forehead in frustration.

Sasuke just stared at her, amused. So she's not as tough as she appears to be, huh? It'd be interesting to be with her then, trying to crack her tough demeanor.

Sakura noticed him staring at her, what the hell was up with this dude anyway? Judging from yesterday, it was quite clear that he doesn't care what anyone thought of him, and sure as hell not the weird girl who punched him right in public. So then, what was he doing here? Her confused expression turned to a suspicious one. Was he planning some kind of revenge on her? Better look out for any traps then. What's the worse he could do though? Gang up on her? She could handle that situation very well then. But for now, he didn't seem to mean any harm. Besides he was too cute to plan for any atrocity of that kind. Seriously, putting his rotten attitude aside, he's actually pretty much a good guy. But a person's behavior defines his personality, so maybe he should work on his attitude.

"This would reduce the swelling and pain, just don't strain your face much. And keep your glares to minimum, that'd definitely help," she advised with all seriousness, he almost believed her.

"Hn, you plan to study medicine," he stated. Her eyes widened when he said that, wondering how he knew that.

"How did you…?"

"Dobe."

Realization flooded like relief, and she mentally slapped herself for thinking that he might be a serious stalker. It'd have been such a waste to hurt his pretty face again. Removing the ice-pack, she got up to place it on the counter, but he caught her wrist before she could move away. She turned to him questioningly.

"Thanks…" He trailed off, a little awkward. He had difficulties expressing his gratitude, and many other feelings too. He just sucked in that department.

Just as he started regretting saying that grateful word, she gave him a dazzling bright smile, and he decided it was worth it.

"You're welcome!" She said in a bright tone, and turned to the counter again, placing the ice-pack down and quickly taking her forgotten bag before securing one of the strap on her shoulder, ready to make a dash to her college, trying to ignore the warmth bubbling inside her. There was something in his eyes that made her heart melt.

"I'll drop you," he said before she could run away.

"What? Why?"She asked, bewildered at getting a ride from him.

"I made you late," he stated as a matter-of-factly. Actually, he just wanted a reason to be with her.

"What are you talk—" She looked at the clock and let out some colorful words. She was good twenty minutes late.

Sasuke couldn't stop the smirk at her language. No one would judge her to say such words seeing that innocent face of hers.

"Okay, drop me at school. You know where I go, right?" Sakura asked with an uncertainty.

Sasuke gave her an exasperated look. "Konoha Leaf, I know. Dobe has a really uncontrollable mouth."

An understanding look came upon her face and she muttered her response in agreement.

"Let's go then," she said before dashing out of the front door, leaving Sasuke to face palm at her behavior. How in the world was he going to handle this girl? God save him.

Sakura almost stepped into the black Ferrari but Sasuke beat her to it by opening the car door for her. The pinkette gave him a weird look before taking her seat. On the other hand, Sasuke mentally reprimanded himself for his action. He never opened door for any girl; in fact, no girl had ever been in his car. She was the first girl to be here, and hopefully the last too.

He started the car and drove his way to her school, knowing the way already. He had hoped for a small conversation to be made, but instead the pinkette had decided to study her notes or whatever it was. He sneaked some glances at her now and then, not noticing the way the pink-haired girl's brows started twitching.

"What?" She finally snapped at him.

He just rolled his eyes in response. She's a spitfire alright.

He parked his car to the pavement, noticing the people beginning to detect his car. It was the newest version, not yet out for sale. There were many perks of being an Uchiha, after all.

As soon as he stopped the car, Sakura stepped out of it and put on her bag. All eyes were on them as Sasuke got out of the car and walked to the other side to her. Everyone knew the Sasuke Uchiha; he was the most wanted boy on every girl's list, every girl's dream boyfriend. Just their luck he had never been interested in dating, so far that rumors of him being gay had started circulating since a year.

People started gossiping seeing the handsome Uchiha and the genius Haruno together. The perfect people forming a perfect couple, the only part not fitting the picture was the sour look on Haruno's face. Looks like someone doesn't like attention.

"I'll see you after school," he said monotonously, one hand in his pocket and another one running through his hair, spiking them at the top, _again_. Was it a habit of his?

"Excuse me?" She regarded him with a disbelieving look. "Who told you I'll be seeing you. Mind your own business, scram from here now."

If it was anyone else, they'd have taken the hint and left her alone. But Uchihas were not the one to give up on someone they want so easily. He wasn't gonna let her rejection get to him. He'll persuade her till she succumbed to his infamous charms.

"We'll see about that," he replied with a smirk.

Sakura ignored the way her heart skipped a beat and continued to glare at him. "Don't make me replay last night's event, it won't be good for you." And with that she walked away towards her school grounds, feeling the Uchiha's gaze boring holes at her head. God dammit, why is he distracting her so much?

* * *

Classes went by as usual. Her biology test was really good; she would hardly lose any marks. But her happy demeanor was distorted at the sight in front of her. Her eyes twitched at she saw a familiar black Ferrari car at the gates with a certain Uchiha leaning on it, texting away on his cell phone.

"I thought I told you not to come," she said with narrowed eyes.

He smirked, "And I told you I'd come."

There was a momentary pause before Sakura started running off towards the direction of her house. Sasuke stood there for a second, slowly registering what the pink-haired girl just did before getting into his car and following her. It was just his luck that her house was not near. Going beyond the speed limit he reached in front of her two-storey house in a few minutes, and saw the pinkette breathing heavily, giving him a triumphant grin. No doubt she was proud of herself. The bright rays of sun illuminated her hair in a paler shade of her original pink as she flipped them back and walked towards him.

She bowed down to the window and just smirked at him, "Go home now, loser boy."

Sasuke rolled her eyes at her childishness. She was seventeen or seven? He was going to have a hard time trying to determine that.

"Hn, whatever." With that he drove off to the Naruto's house, sitting in Uchiha Manor would bore him to death. And besides, he had left a little present for the pinkette n her house anyway. If he's nearby it'd just spoil the surprise.

Sakura watched him go for a few seconds before climbing up her porch and entering the house with a small— _Tadaima_.

"Sakura-chan! Look what Sasuke got for you as an apology gift! Don't ask me, I don't want to spoil the surprise!" Her mom shouted from inside the kitchen—who got out of there, making her way to her room—winking at Sakura.

Hearing that, the pinkette reluctantly walked to the kitchen and spotted a dark grey colored basket covered by a green woolen scarf on the mahogany dining table.

"What is it?" She shouted at her mom warily. She got no response.

Cautiously making her way around the dining table she felt the green scarf and lifted it up, expecting some bakery goodies. To her shock and amazement, she instead found a black cat with extremely beautiful bluish violet eyes. She looked into the basket and found a pale blue note with something scribbled on it.

It read,

_It's a gift; I won't be taking in back anytime. So don't think of returning the cat, he belongs to you._

_-Sasuke_

Her brain had shut down at his words before she narrowed her eyes. This was too good to be true. Since when did the Uchiha with his stuck up attitude started gifting people who punched him? Maybe this was some sort of a trick. She took the cat in her hand, seeing it struggle against her hold as she checked him from every angle. Surely there has to be some bomb or gas chamber located somewhere in the cat's fur. As far as she knew from whatever nonsense Naruto spewed now and then, Sasuke wasn't the gifting type guy, in fact, he rarely gifted anyone anything, let alone a stranger (He's still a stranger for her, end of discussion).

The cat hissed loudly and scratched her palm before jumping off to sit on the extreme edge of the dining table. His blue eyes glared at her snobbishly.

Huh? Well, at least she knows now that the Uchiha passed on his attitude to the cat. Now that she compared both of them, they were actually quite similar. The soft black fur resembled Uchiha's soft black hair. The glaring blue eyes were not the exact shade of his eyes. Sasuke's eyes were the blackest obstinate pair of eyes she ever saw, with a tint of blue in them. They were actually very, very pretty…

Her mental rambles stopped right there, her more sensible side asking why in the world she thought of the arrogant Uchiha as pretty. Searching for any reason, she found none. After a moment passed, she just shrugged and noticed the cat's glare boring holes into her head. Both of them stared at each other till the cat huffed and walked to her with a narrowed gaze.

Green eyes twitched as she finally got the meaning of cat's action. That little furball was hungry. The glare was for ignoring his presence and the narrowed gaze was for her stupidity to not understand that he needed to be fed. His attitude _demanded_ to be fed. The nerve of that cat…

For a moment she considered leaving the cat unfed as her own way of getting back, but a brief image of Sasuke's face flashed in her mind. What'd he say if he found out that the cat he trusted to keep with her was not being taken care of? That it wasn't well looked after? It confused her as to why she even cared about what he thought. Her frustration getting better of her, making her frown.

_Meow._

Her attention was drawn to the cat again, now looking at her intensely. Then as if he was considering something for a moment, he leaped at her. As a reflex, Sakura immediately took the cat in her arms. The questioning stare she got from him caught her off guard. So the little furball was not really as nonchalant as he seems to be? Just like a certain arrogant Uchiha pretended to be too.

"Did Sasuke train you to behave like this? You know, just to get on my nerves or something…" She trailed off.

At the disinterested look she got as her reply, she sweat dropped. Well, it seems the Uchiha just rubbed off his personality on the furball as well.

* * *

It's been two days since she got the cat—who now slept at the foot of her bed, in a royal way, of course—but there was no sign of the Uchiha who gifted her him. She didn't really admit it, but in her heart she knew she was missing him. Sure he was weird and a hell lot of arrogant, but he's just emotionally constipated, like Naruto kindly points out whenever his name is mentioned.

Yeah, his advances were extreme, and kind of too extreme, but that didn't make him any less nice. She can always blame it on his difficult of expressing emotions. Or maybe he's just gay.

It was a rare day off for her and her mind was clouded with thoughts of a certain raven-haired guy. That just won't do. Her eyes lit up mischievously as she eyed the black furball sleeping without a care in front of her. Slowly and quietly, she sneaked up to the cat, determined to surprise him. But as if sensing her evil thoughts, the cat suddenly hissed and jumped off the bed, running towards her study table before scrambling to get up on it. His unbelieving blue eyes glared at her with a look that screamed –_what the hell's wrong with your mind!_

Well, isn't he just a ball of sunshine? She ignored the little voice in her head telling the cat resembled more and more of Uchiha's characteristics.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm just so bored you know," she said as if the cat would understand her, which surprisingly he seemed to. "Say what, we have two choices. We can either go get fat in front of T.V. or we can just go out and walk to the park cuddling with other—"

_Ring_

_Ring._

_Ring._

She answered her cell before the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Sak, it's me!_"

"Naruto? 'Sup?"

"_Uh well, you see…_"

"What did you do now?"

"_It's not really my fault, really!_"

"Just tell what the fuck happened dumbass, don't irritate me!"

"_Um, you see, me and Sasuke were like riding my bike, the new one my dad gifted for my birthday, you know. But that's not important, we were riding and I was just taking a turn when that dumb Kiba rammed into my bike from the front and I kind of lost my balance. But don't worry; I'm alright, just a few scratches. But Sasuke…_"

"If even a hair from his head is harmed, I swear I'll kill you, Naruto." She could hear him gulping from the other end of the line at her possessive tone. Naruto had gotten a firsthand experience of her anger many times; he wouldn't dare to underestimate her.

"_He's not that hurt Sak, really! Just a fractured hand and—_"

"You _moron_, you broke his hand!" She screeched in disbelief. Naruto winced at her voice.

"_Oh c'mon Sakura-chan, give me a break here,"_ she heard him whine. "_Even I'm injured, thought not that bad but still! I just called to ask if you can come meet Teme here, he's giving me that evil-eye look since forever, I'm getting scared now, it's been more than two hours already! Maybe if you come he wouldn't kill me!_"

"Which hospital?" She asked impatiently.

"_Leaf-Point. So you're coming or something? Because I'm kind of hungry, so bring me ramen and—_"

She snapped her phone shut before quickly wearing any random jeans and shirt she could find along with her sneakers before running out of the front door in frenzy. This time, her logical side had no reason for the hammering in her heart as she wished for the well-being of Uchiha. She was so lost in her worries that she hadn't even noticed the cat meowing at her.

* * *

The white walls were too bright for his taste. And the stupid grin on his best friend's face was even worse. Did the Dobe have to make such a big deal of that little accident? It was just a fractured hand, not anything serious (as per Uchiha standards). He can take this much pain at least, the only downfall was that his _right_ hand was fractured, which will kind of give him trouble when eating or writing.

He heard the blond apologizing to him profusely for the umpteenth time since he's entered the hospital room.

"Teme, I really didn't knew it'd end up like this. You shouldn't have let go of me, seriously. I'm so sorry!" Naruto wailed again.

"Dobe, just shut up. Stop irritating me." Sasuke said sourly. His mood was just getting worse with each passing minute.

The blond was wise enough to not point out the fact that he and Sakura share the same fad of getting irritated in a very short span of time. He didn't want to test the Uchiha's patience further. He's not that much of a suicide-lover.

"Hey, guys."

Both the boys snapped their heads towards the door, where the pinkette stood with her hands folded—a reprimanding look on her pale face.

"Hi Sakura-chan, you made it! Did you bring me some ramen? " The blond asked dumbly. He had a death wish maybe.

Sakura considered hitting the blond with a good aimed fist, but decided not to injure him much. He did look pretty roughed up. "No."

"Oh…" That was when he noticed how her eyes never left the Uchiha who was glaring at the wall in front of him… again. It looked like he was just trying to ignore the pink-haired girl's presence. The blond was very much aware of his best friend's feelings towards his cousin. And Naruto being Naruto, he just can't let this happen now can he? With a quick idea forming in his head, he made up his mind.

"Guys, I gotta go call up my and Sasuke's mom, inform them about what happened. I'll be back in a minute!" And with that, he was out.

Sasuke understood that the blond was definitely up to something, because he was _never_ the responsible type of person, ever. He heard the pinkette clear her throat before approaching his bedside and sitting on the chair that Naruto was occupying few seconds before.

"So… you alright? I know fractures hurt a lot." It was awkward for her; she had never really tried to have a decent conversation with the guy before.

"Hn." His eyes turned to her for a millisecond before they resumed their original stare at the wall.

"And yeah, thanks for gifting Lei I guess, thought it's really inappropriate for me to accept him," she said with sincere gratitude.

For a moment he was puzzled at what Sakura was saying before his logical mind processed the facts and understood that she's talking about the cat. He also understood that she named the cat based on his attitude. Arrogant, huh?

"It's not a big deal," he replied.

"But still… You know, he's exactly like you!" He looked at her questioningly. "I mean the same too-cool-for-you attitude, tough-demeanor act, suave looks, evil glares…" She kept on ranting, listing his characteristics.

Sasuke looked at her with his eyes widening a bit. The pinkette was insulting him and complimenting him at the same time, probably without realizing it too.

"—not really that tough but acting like it, just a big softie from inside. And his eyes, I love them, ferserious! They're so blue and _pretty_! And its cute little ears and expressions, I swear they're—"

It was calming of sort, to hear her rambling without waiting for his responses. It could work, with her talking and him listening, her loud reactions and his logical one's, her obnoxious personality and his calm one. They could fit like a missing piece of puzzle. She was perfect, and the whole world knows he's damn perfect too, so then what's the problem? Can't she just accept—

His thoughts were cut off when soft lips were placed on his cheek, shocking him. He whipped his head around to find her looking at him shyly with a small blush on her face. Her embarrassment wasn't missed by his coal-black wide eyes.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye! Take care; don't stress your hand much now." And with that she ran out of the door.

The Uchiha didn't even attempt to stop her, because he was too busy shielding his face with his raven bangs to hide the microscopic blush spreading on his face. Uchihas never get embarrassed, but Sakura Haruno was slowly breaching all the facts.

* * *

He was in her kitchen again.

She was just going on her way to get her lunch box, but instead found the Uchiha boy sitting on the chair with a nonchalant gaze as he petted the black furball on the table.

"What're you doing here?" She asked the obvious.

"Hn, came to visit Lei. And then drop you school." He replied as a matter-of-fact only.

"And you think I'll allow you to drop me driving with your fractured hand?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her bossy attitude. Can't she give him some special privilege since he was injured?

"The driver's gonna drive the car, not me," he said in exasperation.

Sakura was speechless. She was gonna avoid the ride and give him a big, long lecture about driving with one hand, but she didn't fathom the possibility of him getting a driver. She ignored the loud voice in her head that told her how he did all that just to drop her to school.

"Fine." She muttered dejectedly.

They walked to the car and got into their seats, where Sasuke informed the driver of which place to go while she gazed out of the window. Thoughts about Sasuke were clouding her mind since she left the hospital. The kiss she gave him even more. She didn't knew what she expected from him now, some kind of sappy love confession? But she never really liked the overemotional situations. But her expectations were rising. That's why she never got involved in love. Your expectations keep on increasing, and it goes downhill when they're not satisfied.

Sasuke on the other hand was almost on the verge of scowling. The pinkette refused to look at him in the eye. He didn't even remember anything he might have done. Why was it so difficult to understand the pink-haired girl? And why is it that he didn't want anyone else than her? It was getting frustrating with each passing moment for him. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but he was sure he needed her. His life wasn't tragic, just incomplete. He never showed interest in any girl he had interacted with, but then why was this girl an exception? What was it about her that drove him over the edge? That made him afraid of losing her? Why did she make him feel happy? All these questions swarmed around his head, and before he realized they had reached the gates of Konoha Leaf.

He heard Sakura mutter a small 'thank you' before quickly walking towards her school, not giving him a chance to respond. If she thought he's going to give up so easily, she had another thing coming.

* * *

The physics class was quite stressful; the numericals were twisted and made her think too hard. But she was thankful that now it was break. She saw Ino walking towards her with a big grin on her face.

"Hey Forehead! Guess what?" She asked excitedly.

"What, Pig?" Sakura was anything but interested. With Ino, she knew it took very less to get her excited.

"Yesterday I had gone shopping, and I found the perfect dress ever! P-E-R-F-E-C-T!" The blonde circled around on her heels, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Good for you, Pig." The pinkette was nonchalant. The events of morning still occupied her head (the real reason why those physics numericals had been tough).

"Oh my God, Sakura! Look who's walking towards us. Is this a dream? Or is he really who I think he is? _The _Sasuke Uchiha is walking towards us!" Ino squealed, not noticing the way Sakura tensed up and whipped her head towards where the blonde girl was pointing.

"Haruno." He said as he approached her. "Have lunch with me."

Ino widened her eyes as the Uchiha hottie asked the pinkette out for a lunch. Is this really a dream? Somebody pinch her please. And the way Sakura is reacting—her glare could bore holes in a wall—it was relevant that the pinkette knew the Uchiha too. Well, her best friend's keeping some secrets from her now huh? It just seems she had to get her to spill them later then. After all, she's Ino Yamanaka, and no one can avoid her interrogation. Not even the smart-ass pinkette.

"No, I won't. You can go carry your Uchiha-ass to some fancy restaurant alone." Sakura replied haughtily.

Ino sweat-dropped at her best friend's attitude. Looks like she'd have to do some match-making. The pinkette needs someone to knock her off her feet, and Sasuke Uchiha seems to be the one for her. She needed to give her just a little push in his direction then. A tiny little push.

"Well, I wouldn't mind coming with you, Sasuke-kun," Ino started.

Sasuke almost glared at her before he caught her winking at him with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. It didn't take his Uchiha mind more than a millisecond to get what she meant to do.

"Hn, if you want to, sure." He replied with a shrug and smirked at the blonde.

Sakura's jaw dropped at the scenario. Wasn't the Uchiha interested in her? Then how the hell can he flirt with her best friend? And how can her best friend do this to her? Granted that the blonde doesn't know the predicament, but still.

"Ino, you don't need to go. I'll go," she said reluctantly. She really, really didn't want to see the Uchiha with any other girl, except her. She refused to accept the feeling as jealousy. She was _not_ jealous. Nope.

"Oh, are you sure, Sakura? I think Sasuke could use some attention from me, since you seem to not give it. Really, it's not a problem; in fact I'll be glad—"

"I said I'll go, _Pig_." Sakura said with gritted teeth. Her patience was running thin.

"Fine, fine. Don't stress your big forehead out." Ino said, raising her hands up in surrender. She vaguely promised herself that if Sasuke didn't love her best friend's forehead and found it cute; she had to do some match-breaking then.

"Hn, we should go then. Have to get you back before break's over." Or not, he thought inwardly.

"Sure," the pinkette muttered, waving the blonde a half-hearted bye. Not before catching the look that she got, which literally screamed at her to tell all the details to Ino later. Rolling her eyes, Sakura followed Sasuke out to his car.

"Didn't think of you as the jealous type," Sasuke commented as he held the car door open for her.

Sakura snorted at the comment before taking her seat. "You wish."

"You've a fractured hand. Why the hell are you driving?" She asked in an incredulously. Was this guy insane?

"Hn, it's not good to depend on a driver to drive me everywhere."

"I think a fractured hand ought to make you an exception."

"No, it doesn't. "

He heard her mutter something along the lines of intolerable bastards and chicken-butt haired arrogant dudes. He just started the car with a shake of his head. It was almost impossible to crack the pinkette's tough act. He asked her about that.

Sakura heard him mutter something, but didn't hear it properly.

"Huh?" She queried.

"Why are you scared to let people get close to you?" He asked while making a turn, keeping his eyes focused on the road. He was purposely trying to not look at her, lest he made her feel too nervous to respond to his query. He really did want to know about her. From the few days that he got to spend with her, the most obvious thing was that she didn't allow herself the liberty to feel freely. And it was killing him.

Sakura pursed her lips in a straight line, wondering why the Uchiha had asked her that question. Seeing no harm, she decided to be honest to him. It doesn't look like he had any interest in harming her in any way.

"I…" she started off, unsure of how to express herself. Telling Ino was quite different than telling him.

Sasuke glanced at her with intense eyes. Just as he expected, Sakura had long past lost her ability to discuss emotional things. He had noticed at Naruto's party that she wasn't socializing, and was content pretty much by herself. Sure, he wasn't exactly social either, but he does mingle with people on occasion, and he wasn't cut off emotionally. He did have social skills; he just didn't use them often. But hers were non-existent.

"It's not really applicable to me, actually. It's just that I see people together with not even an ounce of genuine feelings for each other. Like they're with each other for their own selfish purposes. I hate people who use other people. So whenever someone tries getting closer to me, I automatically withdraw myself from them, sometimes without realizing, sometimes purposely." She gave him a pointed look at the last line.

Oh. Everything clicked together in his mind. Naruto had told him about Sakura's father. Life was hard on her when her father left her mother when she was just two-years old. Having grown up with a single parent, she had a lot of trust issues.

"I won't leave you."

He said that so sincerely that she didn't doubt him. But she'd never admit it. Instead, she snorted at him.

"Who said I want you to stay?"

"I just know."

"How do you know? How can you be so sure? I can live on my own; I have lived alone till now."

He didn't miss the defensive look in her eyes, even though she refused to look straight at him. He realized that she was not allowing herself to depend on anyone. Always doing everything on her own, taking the burden all by herself, never opening up to anyone, expecting too much of herself.

"You need to let go sometimes. You can't always have it together all the time," he stated.

It was her turn to stare at him intensely. He wasn't the first person to tell her this, but he was the first one who actually meant it and seemed to care enough. But it was frightening for her, not the trusting him part, but the part that her heart already trusted him. When did this happen? When had she started trusting him?

"I don't need an emotionally constipated person to tell me that," she snorted again, trying to hide her smile when he glared at her.

Sasuke couldn't believe the nerve of this girl. Here he was trying to help her coax out of her shell, but she's busy insulting him.

"You're impossible, you know that, Haruno?" He didn't expect her to reply. But the pinkette always surprised him one way or another.

"But that's why you love me," she grinned. "And maybe 'cause I'm cute too," she added as an afterthought.

His feet slammed on the brakes and the car came to an abrupt halt on the road sidewalk. He whipped his head to look at her. Did she just say what he thought he heard? Did she just accept him? Is she giving him a chance to be in her life? All his questions were answered by her next sentence.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, pretty boy. I'll just give you a chance, you are not that bad after all," she said with a shrug.

To any other person it'd seem like a disinterested answer, but he knew that it was a huge difference for her. She saw him give an amused smirk before he started chuckling.

"You think I won't notice the compliment?" He didn't miss the pretty boy comment she gave.

"You never give up, do you?"

If it was going to be this way, he could keep doing this for the rest of his life. There was no way he wouldn't make this work. Make _them_ work.

"You should know that by now." His smirk just aggravated her further.

"Why you little—" she shut her mouth when he opened his door and got out, moving to open her door for her. Sakura looked around, searching for any restaurant. But all she saw was a clear road with a park nearby.

"Why are we here? I thought we were going out for lunch. Is this some prank of yours? Are you like having revenge against me because I punched you when you called me a cat? But that was really your fault, seriously. I mean you can't just go on insulting people at parties 'cause you feel like it. You've to consider—"

"Shut up, woman." He raked his left, non-fractured hand through his hair. One minute she's not talking and the next minute she won't stop talking. But he didn't mind it. It was a progress.

It didn't change the fact that he had absolutely no ladies skill. Not that Sakura Haruno was like any other girl, but she still believed in fairy tales, no matter how many times she denied it. And the prince is always a gentleman, in every situation. But her prince-charming was just an arrogant asshole, who didn't have any manners on how to speak to the girl he likes. And she definitely wasn't gonna tolerate that of all things.

"You arrogant little prick. You think you can just tell me to shut up and expect me to follow that? Well, your royal highness ass should know that I can't be controlled by anyone. If fact, I decide what I do, you stupid, dumbass jerk of all time—"

She was cut off again, this time by a pair of lips pressing against hers. Her green eyes widened as she felt the soft lips move against hers. Her first kiss was being stolen by the Uchiha. But she couldn't find it in herself to push him away; she was tired of doing that. Giving up, she wounded her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and letting herself feel the moment. Sasuke placed his left hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His hopes were heightened when he felt her respond the kiss. Finally, they were together at last. All this waiting for the perfect girl was not for nothing, it was for everything.

After it seemed like minutes had passed, they finally pulled off, still in the same position. Sakura rested her head against his chest and hugged him around his waist, his hand going around her shoulders, pressing her close to him, resting his chin on top of her head. She was so _small_. He had this sudden urge to protect her from everything, shield her from all her problems. He was always possessive and over-protective about the people he cared for. With that thought in mind, he tightened his hold.

* * *

"I meant it." He said a few days later when they were in her bedroom.

"Huh?" Came her muffled reply. She was resting her head on the pillow, face-first. She was dead-tired after her biology practical, which had been about dissecting a cockroach. He had heard her complaining about the cockroach seemingly appearing almost alive in the lab. Apparently, she was afraid of those little brown insects.

"You do look like a cat." He said seriously. She stiffened on the bed, her irritation barely controllable.

"Are you asking for a death wish, asshole?" Her vocabulary hadn't improved. But he didn't miss the underlying threat.

"Stop coming to your own conclusions, woman. Cats are smart, they're cute too. Their intelligence is considerable." He stated.

Sakura relaxed her composure again; she almost thought he was heading into a dangerous territory. He just meant to compliment her character, nothing more. And here she was thinking he was trying to offend her. Silly her.

"But they're also loud, brash, attention-seeking, demanding, impatient, full of attitude and arrogance, and also _annoying_," he finished with a smirk, a conceited look on his face.

This time, she aimed her kick at his family jewels. He'd never call her a cat again then.

* * *

_"Sometimes, on our way through the world, we meet someone who touches our heart in a way others don't." - Philip Reeve_

* * *

**Okay, I seriously don't know how to apologize for my obnoxious absence from FFn. It's been almost two year, I guess..?**

**It's been busy, and quite dramatic years for me, so I can't find it in me to put good words in an apology, forgive me my all cute readers! :P**

**Hope you liked this one-shot. It's my fifth one-shot, yay! Found this draft (and many more) lying in my computer since two years, so just decided to finish it up already. It's my longest one-shot yet so far. Just seems like yesterday when I discovered FFn, ferserious :O**

**Anyways, hopefully I'll continue my other fics soon, too. Can't say for sure though. I missed this place so damn much, it feels great to be back here!**

**Well, as always, I'd like for you all to leave your views on this one. Please don't Fav/Alert without leaving a review, typing a few words won't hurt :) It was a struggle for me to finish something I had started long ago :) So please kindly leave your reviews. I'd absolutely love to read them :) If the response is good, I might consider writing a sequel for _Feline_ ;D**

**Bye, lovelies! Take care, love ya all! :D**

**-Lilac Queen**


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